December 1, 2025

MENA

YC alum Cercli, an AI-powered Rippling for MENA, raises oversubscribed $12M Series A

admin04 mins

In a region long defined by fragmented enterprise systems, outdated compliance tools, and HR software that rarely talks to finance, Cercli is building a unified alternative for MENA businesses with AI at its core. The Dubai-based startup, founded by ex-Careem operators Akeed Azmi and David Reche, has announced an oversubscribed $12 million Series A round led by…

Read More

AI-powered fintech Alaan raises $48M, one of the largest Series A rounds in MENA

admin04 mins

When Parthi Duraisamy was a consultant at McKinsey’s Dubai office, he discovered that the American Express cards his company relied on for corporate expenses were rarely accepted in the Middle East. This forced Duraisamy to cover significant travel expenses out of pocket and file endless expense reports. “It was a constant pain,” Duraisamy explained on…

Read More